


A Man is an Island

by ScarlettWallflower



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Arthur is as sad and grouchy as in canon verse, EngMano is the ultimate Brotp, Human AU, Other, allusions to many other relationships, but they're not the focus, friendship fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-25
Updated: 2017-06-25
Packaged: 2018-11-18 23:35:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,139
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11301153
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ScarlettWallflower/pseuds/ScarlettWallflower
Summary: Skipping class with a friend turns into an existential crisis for Arthur and he wonders, just for the briefest second, if maybe he's his own worst enemy.





	A Man is an Island

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted to my tumblr on June 2017. EngMano is such a good brotp and I have no idea why no one writes about them. Arthur is... well basically himself. 
> 
> I wanted to explore the idea that he doesn't realize that his terrible attitude drives people away and when people react negatively to him, it just makes him even more misanthropic and the cycle begins again.
> 
> Oh and I make reference to Spamano, DenNor, AmeIce, FraSey, GerIta, and Giripan but they're really just mentioned in passing. Spamano is the only one explicitly discussed.

Arthur had come to the conclusion that he would never fully understand Romano Vargas.

He would never understand his love for that airheaded Mr. Football Team Captain, Antonio. He would never understand Romano’s love of fancy designer clothes that really didn’t fit their group’s punk aesthetic. And he would certainly never understand why Romano preferred coffee to tea.

But truly, none of that tainted their friendship. Indeed, nothing could unite two people like two snarky attitudes and a shared desire to skip class.

Arthur and Romano were seated in a back corner of the little hole-in-the-wall coffee shop near campus, sipping their tea and cappuccino respectively, staring out the window at the cars roaring by on the highway.

“You finish the paper for Becker’s class yet?” Arthur asked in a faux-casual tone. He was pretty confident in his writing abilities but he always wanted to read what others had wrote to compare. So he had an inferiority complex, sue him.

Romano rolled his eyes and made a lazy waving gesture with his left hand.

“That elitist dickweed. Becker can suck my asshole.”

Arthur almost laughed out loud.

“You’d like that wouldn’t you?”

Romano’s eyes flicked back in Arthur’s direction and the wry grin on his lips couldn’t hide the good-natured twinkle in his eye.

“Only when Toni does it. Becker can watch though. I get the feeling he’s one of those homophobes that secretly has a huge stash of gay porn on their computer. Freaky stuff too. Probably involves piss.”

This time Arthur actually did laugh. It came out so loud and strangled-sounding a couple people turned around and stared.

“Is this what you’re thinking about when you’re sitting in class?”

Romano snorted. “Hell yeah! Better than listening to him jack himself off to his theories on Marx.”

“Metaphorically speaking?”

Romano shrugged. “So far anyway. Who knows what he’ll do on the last day of class.”

After their laughter died down, a comfortable silence settled over the café. The heady smell of coffee and baking pastries seemed to relax Romano and he gradually sank back into his chair.

Arthur watched the parking lot, the nurses on break from the hospital down the road, the harried mothers trying to get some caffeine in their systems before picking their kids up from school, everyone in such a rush to get from point A to point B.

Arthur couldn’t help the nagging jealousy growing and he felt he had to ask.

“Hey, uh, so, how’s things going with you and…” he trailed off, purposely not wanting to say Antonio’s name. Old habits die hard and Arthur and Antonio had hated each other since elementary school.

Romano blinked and rubbed his nose.

“Ah, they’re good. Really good, actually. We’re thinking about getting married. You know, once I graduate. And Toni’s got a job offer already. Nonno might be a little upset at first but once we’re all nice and drunk at the wedding, everybody’ll be happy again.”

Romano reached across the table and playfully jabbed Arthur’s shoulder. “Hey, you’re gonna be one of my groomsmen, right? You and Lukas? Feliciano’s gotta be the best man, you know, since he’s my brother.”

Arthur rubbed the back of his neck and tugged at his hair.

“Right. Right. Of course, mate.”

Romano flopped back into his chair and went on, talking about all the ideas he had for the wedding decorations and venues. His gestures got more animated as he talked about the apartments they were looking at and how amazing it was to think they were going to be real adults with nine to five jobs and their own place.

Arthur just nodded and occasionally added in an “uh-huh” or “that’s nice.” Romano was in his own world, uncharacteristically eager, with flushed cheeks and a smile that showed his teeth and normally-hidden dimples. He didn’t seem to notice how miserable Arthur was.

As he sat listening to his friend, Arthur thought, and not for the first time, that his life was stagnating.

He was in college, pursuing a worthless degree he wasn’t sure he liked anymore, still working at his high school job, and alone. His parents were never around, his siblings were all shit-heads, and he had no romantic prospects on the horizon.

He had friends, sure, but how long until they moved on to bigger and better things? Lukas was already married to Mathias and they were talking about moving back to Norway and starting a family. And now Romano was about to marry Antonio and forget all about him.

Arthur didn’t understand. Lukas and Romano both had the same sour disposition as him, why had they been able to meet people willing to look past their outward appearance and get to know them?

And it wasn’t just the two of them either. Alfred’s recent graduation from high school had not dissuaded him from continuing to troll their alma mater for potential dates. Apparently he’d found Lukas’ younger brother, if his Instagram was anything to judge by.

Francis was, of course, working his way through the university’s student body, though it seemed that he might have taken a liking to a young lady in their dormitory who had a lovely creole accent of some kind and a peculiar habit of always wearing her hair in two pigtails with red ribbons.

Even Kiku, as shy and socially-awkward as he was, had found himself in a comfortable relationship with a Greek guy working at the Turkish food truck that stopped by campus once a week.

Why was he still alone?

“Arthur? Hey, Arthur?”

Arthur blinked rapidly and sat up. “Uh, sorry, what’s that?”

“I said I’m headed out. I gotta go home and change, Toni and I are going out on a double date with Feli and Ludwig. God help us all.” He did the sign of the cross for dramatic effect and grabbed his fancy Italian leather jacket off the back of the chair.

“I’ll see you later, man. Good luck on that stupid ass paper, you can send me your draft and I’ll email you mine. Ciao, limey.”

Arthur watched Romano saunter out the door, a belated “Cheers, mate,” falling from his lips. He tried to take a sip of his tea and nearly choked, finding it had grown cold and bitter. Arthur slammed his cup down onto the saucer with trembling hands.

His gaze flicked over to a group of people he recognized from some of his classes. They were staring at him, talking in hushed tones.

“Oy, the hell d’you think you’re looking at? Mind your own damn business!” His chair screamed as he pushed forcefully away from the table and stomped out of the café.

“Man, what’s his problem?” He heard one of the girls ask.

“Eh, that’s Arthur. He’s always kind of an asshole like that. Just ignore him.”


End file.
